Tunneling-machine.



D. A. ROBINSON.

TUNNELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I. I9Io.

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D. A. ROBINSON.

TUNNELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ, I9I0.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

5 SHEETS--SHEEI' 2.

D. A. ROBINSON.

TUNNELING MACHINE.

` APPLICATION FILED AUGJ 1910. 1,212,107.

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Patented Jan. 9,1917'.

D. A. ROBINSON.

TUNNELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I. 1910.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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Patented Jan. 9, 1917;

D. A. ROBINSON.

TUNNELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ. |910.

1.212,10?. PIIIenIed Ja... 9,1917.

` 5 SHEETS--SHVEET 5.

DIGHTON A. ROBINSON, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

TUNnnLrNG-MAGHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 9, 1917.

Application led August l, 1910. Serial No. 574,914.

To @ZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, Drei-iron A. ROBIN- soN, of Seattle, King county, lashington, have invented certain new and useful j lmprovements in Tunneling -Machines, of which the following is a specification;

My invention relates yto machines for tunneling a rock formation and relates particularly to the channeling or drilling apparatus by means of which a groove or channel of the desired depth is cut in the heading at the top, bottom and sides ofthe tunnel to insure a regular and uniform formation when the blasting has been done.

rlhe object of myA invention is to provide an improved channeling'machine by means of which the channel can be rapidly and accurately cut and the channelers at all times be within perfect control of the operator of the car. i

A further object is to provide a machine which can be readily adapted for drilling purposes to drill a ring of holes in the heading in place of cutting an annular' groove by means of the channeling tools.

My invention contemplates one of a succession of steps in the operation of tunnelino.

trlhe drill car, a form of which l have shown and described in my pending application, Serial No. 451,512, filed September 3, i908, consists of a specially built, heavy steel car, carrying the necessary air reserv'oirs and supports for pneumatic drills which travel in horizontal rows with suitable independent, differential feeds. rEhe drill car is moved forward in place and the necessary holes are drilled in the heading for blasting, also the central hole to receive the shaft or gudgeon supporting the overreach channeling machine. lifhen the drill car has performed its work it is withdrawn and the channeling car is run in place, preferably by its own electric power. The central shaft is inserted in the hole in the heading and the machine solidly locked in position by a suitable means. The channeler is set in operation at first, for instance, with twelve inch chisels. They can be retarded or drawn back at any time and longer ltools inserted at, foriinstance, everyvseven inches of the cut. The channeler having performed its work, a car suitable to receive the blasted rock is run up near the heading, where the rock may be elevated into the car or upon an inclined carrier or conveyer.

` gudgeon.

after the debris has been removed the drilling and channeling, and blastingV operation may be resumed.

My present invention refers particularly to the channeling machine and consists in a suitable car with revolving, fluid pressure operated channelers carried thereby.

Further the invention consists in a combined channeling and drilling machine.

p Further the invention consists in a central support that is adapted to enter the socket drilled in the heading and form a rigid, substantial bearing around which the channeler drills are revolved.

Further the invention consists in means for operating all-of the channeling tools simultaneously or retracting one or more of them independently of the others.

VFurther the invention consists in flexible means by whichv the operation of the channelers or drills may be controlled.

Furtherthe invention consists in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation, partially in section, of the forward portion of a tunneling apparatus embodying my invention, at work in the heading of a tunnel, Fig. 2 is a similar view, of a section of the car adjoining the section shown in Fig. l, Fig. 3 is a horizontal, sectional view illustrating the mechanism for operating the side channelers, Fig. 4 is a transverse, sectional view looking at the rear end of the machine, showing the side channelers at work, Fig. 5 is a sectional view looking at the rear lof the flexible throttle control7 Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the means for operating the throttle control.

In general,-the channeling machine will be mounted on a car constructed of steel having ten carrying wheels and a propelling motor. A hollow, square girder will project forwardly from the car and support the revolving drum o-n which the channeling tools are mounted. rllhis drum is preferably made of heavy steel plates, butt joints, and carried on greoved rollers. The forward end of the hollow girder will be used for fluid pressure storage, air pressure being preferably employed, and is provided with a rotatable joint. The main center support of the channeling machine in the heading is a shaft or The 'screw mechanism for the ltraveling blocks isprovided with a mechania revolution every five minutes, thereby channeling at the rate of about six feet per hour,

i exclusive of delays `andthe time for changing chisels. An external and internal gear ring is supported onl suitable rollers. As the revolvingmeniber turns, the gears on the worm screw revolve on theexternal gteeth of Y the ring, giving the channelers their required forward feed. To advanceor retard the carriages of the channelers rapidly, the power is applied to the internal teeth on the ring, which -revolves the ring and gives the screws f carrying the channelei's a very rapid motion,

both in advancing and retarding. A suitable valve .controls the admission of fluid pres- CJD CII

sure Vto the battery of channelers and independent valves are provided for eac-h or the channelers so that any one of them can be controlled independently of the others. In many formations there are hard and soft spots in the rock and on the hardcuttings the tools can be run at full capacity while on the soft spots their operation can be controlled by throttling. Y

In the rear of the revolving drum on the forward end of the channeler car I prefer to provide a device which l term a flexible guide, controlling the independent channeler valves for guiding the throttle extension stems. The object of this device is to control and regulate the channeler chisels on non-uniform rock and nonuniform surfaces. to illustrate: The channeler cut on one side of the tunnel may be very hard and the valve will be wide open while on the other side of the tunnel the cut may be soft and the valves throttleddown to the necessary degree while cutting .the groove in the soft material. I prefer to provide a construction which will permit any one of the valve-stems to be disconnected from the guide and operated independently. In Figs. l, and 6 I have illustrated this device, to be hereinafter referred to, in detail in the drawings. This controlling mechanism is a very essential feature and absolutely necessary for successful op- Y eration in rock which varies in its vdegree of hardness. It will also be of practical use each time a groove is started in the heading, as there will often be projections to cut as well as depressions to skip over and with this flexible control the tools may be operated up ,to their maximum capacity at certain points-in the revolution'of the drum and throttled down until theyycease operation where there is'no cutting to do. Some of tl e blocks or channeler carriages maybe hinged and thereby be Vcapable of swinging to oneV side so that the operators can pass the machine and also Vallow the car to pass the concrete formsfor other obstructions. Anti-friction rollers are provided to take up the backward thrust and friction of the revolving drum, as it may be called.

rlhe following is a detailed description of my improved channeling car, with reference charac-ters designating the different parts of the machine: 2 represents a track laid on the bottoni of the tunnel and 3 a car adapted to run back and forth thereon. V{lack-screws 4l are. provided at the top and bottom of the car on each side and adapted to engage the roof and side walls of the tunnel for th-e purpose of locking the car and holding it rigidly during the channeling operation. There may be vany suitable number of these lscrews as the character of the work may demand. 5 is a compressed air reservoir, centrally arr: nged with respect to the car and having at its forward end a head 6 containing a chamber 7. A valve S is mounted in a casing` i) which communicates with the chamber 7 and normally closes ports 10 in said casing which lead from the reservoir to the chamber .7; A stud 11 is carried by the head 6 and projects forwardly therefrom .and supports a telescoping sleeve 12 which has a longitudinal movement on said stud by means of a screw 13. The forward end of the sleeve 12 has a socket 14 and the forward end of the screw has a head 15 within said socket that is adapted to receive an operating tool and permit the adjustment of said screw to project or withdraw the sleeve 11. The purpose of this adjustment is to allow the sleeve which is centered in the heading to be adapted to any depression in the heading without affecting the position of the channelers. F or instance, there might be a cavity in the center of the heading, at the bottom of which the socket for the forward end of the sleeve would be formed, and in that event a djustment of the sleeve is desirable to properly seat it in the center of the heading. The socket in the heading to receive the stud l1 is formed by the central drill of the drill car, as heretofore referred to, and this socket forms a substantial support for the overhanging forward portion of the channeling machine and cooperates with the jack-screws to rigidly hold the car in position during the channeling operation.

A drum 16 incloses the air reservoir 5 and has bearings thereon by means of concave faced rollers 17 and annular rings 1S having wedge-shaped faces to enter the grooves in the rollers 17. Anti-friction rollers 17 resist the backward thrust of the drum and Y with the rollers 17 form bearings on which D the drum revolves. The drum flares, preferably, from its rear toward its forward end and supports a series of channelers by any suitable means, preferably as follows: A seis connected by a pipe 24 with a port 25 leading into the air chamber 7 and each pipe has a swiveled connection at 26 which permits the carriage of each channeling tool to be operated back and forth on the supporting T-bars. Each pipe leading'to a cylinder 2l also has a valve 27 controlled by an operating rod 28 by means of which the passage of fluid pressure from the chamber 7 to the channeling cylinder may be controlled. On the forward end of the channeler car I mount a ring 27 having bearings for a series of hand screws 27". Brackets 28 are mounted on said screws and adapted to slide on the ring 27. These brackets have seats for a flexible metallic band 28" that is arranged at right angles substantially to the surface of the ring 27 and is movable forward and backward thereon when the screws 27 are operated. The rods 28 have forked ends 29 which straddle the outer edge of the band 28 and by the adjustment of the screws 27 the flexible band 28 may be set to form, as it were, a cam track, bulging forward at one point and receding at'another point. The rods 28 revolve, of course, with the revolving member, and slide on the band 28 and consequently the forward and backward bending of this band will cause the operation lengthwise of the rods 28 and the opening or closing of the throttle valves 27, the degree of movement of the valves depending, of course, upon the adjustment of the band 28". For instance, if the cut on one side is extremely hard the band will be adjusted to open the valves wide, and if a portion of the heading is composed of soft material, that part of the lieXible band in the rear of the soft heading will be adjusted so that the valve will be throttled down to the necessary degree for operating in the soft material. At any time the rod 28 may be sprung sufiiciently to disengage it from the flexible band and then the rod and the throttle valve may be operated independently.

rlhe channeler carriages are operated by suitable means, such as screw shafts 29 mounted in bearings in the drum 16 and passing through interiorly threaded blocks 30 which are carried by the carriages 20. rJlhe revolution of the screw 29 will therefore move its block 30 back and forth thereon and slide the channeling carriages forward or backward, toward or from the tunneling heading. The rear end of each screw shaft is provided Ywith a loosely mounted pinion 31 adapted to be locked by means of a clutch 32. This pinion normally meshes with a gear ring 33 that is held in place by side plates 34 and meshes with a pinion 35 on a driving shaft 36. The application of power to this driving shaft will be transmitted through the ring 33 to the pinions 31 and said pinions will revolve the screw shafts 29 to feed the carriages forward as the channeling tools penetrate the heading. Whenever desired, the clutch 32 may be disengaged and the channeling carriages withdrawn from the heading for the purpose of replacing the tool without disturbing the other carriages. A cable 37 carries a basket 38 in which the channeling tools may be conveniently transported to a point near the heading. The gear ring 33 has a lug 39 thereon and a pivoted stop 40 is adapted to be swung into the path of said lug to lock the gear ring against movement. The stop 40 is preferably mounted on a standard carried by the reservoir 5 and is swung out of the path of the lug 39 when power is applied to the shaft 36 to revolve n the ring 33. Any suitable means may be provided for revolving the drum, but I prefer to provide an internal gear ring 41 thereon adapted to mesh with a pinion 42 carried by a shaft 43 that is mounted in bearings beneath the reservoir 5. rfurning now to Fig. 3 of the drawing, the rear end of the shaft 43 is shown, provided with a worin wheel 44 which meshes with a worm 45 on a shaft 45 which has a gear 46 and is driven from a pinion 47 on a shaft 48. A motor 49 is belted to the shaft 48 and through the intervening mechanism drives the shaft 43 and revolves the drum 16. By this means the drum is revolved at any suitable speed and by opening the valve 8 fluid pressure is admitted to the cylinders of the channelers to operate the cutting tools. Any suitable mechanism may be employed for operating the valve 8, but I have illustrated a bell crank device 8', (see Fig. l), by the operation of which the valve 8 will be opened and fluid pressure admitted to the chamber 7.

The mechanism for operating the shaft 36 consists of a sprocket belt 49 which connects the shaft 48 with a shaft 50 that is geared to the shaft 36. This shaft 36, may,

revolve independently of one anotherI and may be so operated to withdraw its channeling carriage for any purpose, such as the Ysubstitution of a channeling orill, and this may beaccomplished without disturbing any of the other channelers.

VThe Lrear head of the reservoir 5 is indicated at 5G in Fig. 2 with the brace rods 5T extending forwardly therefrom and a manhole plate 58 allowing access kto the interior Y' airV chamber in case the air supply pipe is disengaged. I also provide a blow-oilJ valve 5;, on the under side of the compressed air supply pipe 59, (see F ig. 2) said valve having a muffler, as indicated by dotted lines, to deaden the sound of the compressed air discharge when the blow-olf valve is opened.

The floor Gl of the car is indicated in Fig. 3 with steps 62 on each side of the car leading to an elevated platform 64C above the pipe 59 and near the top of the reservoir 5. This construction allows convenient access to the operating mechanismV of the machine. On each side of the car l provide what is known as side channelers, consisting of carriages G5 supported on guidekways 66 and slidasble thereonlengthwise of the car on each side thereof and controlled by feed screws 67 and G8 arranged parallel and driven by motors 69 through shafts 70 and 7l which are belted to said motors and geared to the feed screws 67 and 68. The carriages 65 carry screws 72 operated by means of hand wheels 73 and having slides 74 carrying the channelers 7 5. l also prefer to provide channelers 76 carried by brackets 77 and 78 which are pivoted at 79 on the rear of the car and adapted to swing outwardly a limited distance to allow the channeling of the floor of the tunnel. These channelers are operated by any suitable means, such as the cylinders and plungers with fluid pressure connections which work in the tunnel heading. rl'he location of the sidechannelers is illustrated clearly in Fig. 4, where they are shown withthe cutting tools operating to cut out the rock formation and level the floor of the'tunnel. By means of the supporting carriages 65 these side channelers can be moved back and forth on each side of the car and adjusted in the desired position for the work.

The brackets 77 and 78 hinged at the rear end of the car allow the channelers carried thereby to be swung back and forth, toward or from the wall of tunnel, according to the character of the cutting and when desired they may be swung inwardly to the position indicated by full lines in Fig. 3, where the block 78 is shown in position to clear con crete forms and permit the workmen to pass along by the side of the car. l also provide a channeler 80, (see l) which is adapted to move transversely of the car in a guide 8l, and is for the purpose of cutting recesses in the floor of the tunnel to receive the rail ties. This channeler has a cylinder 82 and the channeling tool is operated in the same manner as described with reference to the other channelers.

For a single track. l propose `to cut a tunnel 25 feet in diameter which will, when lined with concrete, finish 2l feet wide by 22 feet high .in the clear. l anticipate encountering shattered or broken sections of rock in the mount: ins which will have to be worked up by hand and timbered up, but generally the work can be done with the circular' channeler. ln cases where the rock is liable to fall down, it can be supported by circular or cl-shaped compression forms lof angle bars, which can be left in place in the tunnel wall or taken out, if preferred.

The side channelers are for the purpose of cutting the sides of the tunnel to a level with the desired elevation of the ballast, and the rock may be blasted out when removed as fast as the channeling operation progressesl rlhe drill car will first move forA ward and drill the central and blast holes, say eight feet deep, and draw back to a side switch. The channeler will then move forward and make the channel cut about the same depth, draw back and side switch. The muck car will then be moved forward and receive the debris after the blasts are fired. As soon as the broken rock has been removed, the drill car will be put in operation again and the foregoing described steps repeated. l

ln my former application, above referred to, the drill car and the channeling machine are combined in one. l prefer, however, to make them separate and operate the machines independently and successively.

This apparatus may also be used for drilling purposes in places where the formation is too hard for channeling or where, for any other purpose, it is desired to drill a circle of holes in the heading instead of cutting a groove or channel therein. ln using this machine for drilling purposes, the drum will be stationary and drills mounted in place of the channeling chisels or tools, and a series of holes will be drilled in the face of theheading the desired depth. The drum will then be revolved a suitable distance, preferably about four inches, and another set of holes will be drilled and so on until there is a complete circle of holes drilled in the face of the heading to take the place of the annular groove that is cut by the channeler chisels.

l/Vhen the apparatus is used for channeling purposes the ring 33 is stationary and the drum revolves, being driven through the shaft fl-3; but when the device is used for drilling and the drum is stationary, the ring 33 is revolved slowly through the shaft 36 and gear 35 to impart the desired forward feed to the drills.

I claim as my invention l. In a tunneling machine; a channeling apparatus comprising a revolving drum, a support therefor, carriages mounted on said drum and having cylinders and pistons and drills mounted therein, a fluid pressure res# ervoir, iuid pressure pipes connecting said reservoir with said cylinders, a valve for each pipe, common means for controlling the valves, and means for revolving the drum.

2. In a tunneling machine, a channeling apparatus comprising a revolving drum, a centrally arranged support having means to engage the heading of the tunnel, carriages mounted on said drum, cylinders and pistons therefor carried by said carriages, said central support forming a fluid pressure reservoir, pipes connecting said reservoir, with said cylinders, and devices for controlling independently the flow of fluid pressure from said reservoir into said cylinders and common means for actuating said devices.

3. In a tunneling machine, a channeling apparatus comprising a centrally arranged fluid pressure reservoir having a head and a chamber provided therein, said chamber having a series of ports and a valve controlling admission of iuid pressure to said chamber, said head having a part to engage the tunnel heading and pro-vided with a longitudinal extension, a revolving drum, channeler carriages carried by said drum having cylinders and pistons therefor, and fiuid pressure pipes leading from said ports to said cylinders.

4l. In a tunneling machine, a revolving member, channelers mounted thereon,'means supporting said revolving member, said supporting means having a part to engage the heading of the tunnel and a longitudinal eX- tension carried by said engaging means, for the purpose specified.

5. In a tunneling machine, a centrally arranged fluid pressure reservoir having a head, a stud carried by said head, a telescoping sleeve mounted on said stud and means for operating said sleeve to project or with draw it, said sleevebeing adapted to engage the tunnel heading, revolving means carried by said fluid pressure reservoir and a channeling mechanism mounted on said revolving means.

6. in a tunneling machine, the combination, with a revolving drum and a support therefor, channeling carriages, screws whereon said carriages are mounted, means for revolving said screws simultaneously to advance or retract said carriages, cylinders mounted on said carriages and having suitable pistons adapted to support channeling tools.

7. A channeling apparatus comprising a car and means for locking it in a tunnel, a revolving drum and asupport therefor in front of the car, carriages mounted on said drum, means for moving them forward or backward thereon, drill operating means mounted on said carriages, means for controlling the supply of fluid pressure to said drill operating means simultaneously and independent means for controlling the supply offluid pressure to each of said drill-operating means.

8. A channeling machine comprising a car, side channelers mounted thereon and means for operating the same, said channelers being capable of swinging inwardly toward said car to form a passage between them and the wall of the tunnel, substantially as described.

9. A tunneling machine comprising a car, drill carriages, drills supported by said carriages, fluid pressure cylinders having plungers therein wherein the drills are mounted, pipes for supplying fluid pressure to said cylinders, throttle valves for controlling said pipes, and means for simultaneously regulating the movement of said throttle valves and thereby controlling the power of the stroke of said plungers and drills.

10. A tunneling machine comprising a car, drill carriages having cylinders and plungers therefor adapted to receive drills, throttle valves controlling the admission of Huid pressure to said cylinders, operating rods for said throttle valves, a flexible band operatively connected with said rods and means for adjusting said band to form a cam surface thereon to regulate the stroke of said rods and the admission of. fluid pressure to said cylinders.

1l. A tunneling machine comprising a car, means carried thereby and adapted to contact with the heading of a tunnel at a point near the center thereof, drill carriages, Huid pressure cylinders carried thereby and having plungers provided with drill sockets, a revolving support for said drill carriages, means having suitable throttle v means for revolving said support, drill carriages mounted on said support and having `fluid pressure cylinders and plungers therefor, adapted to carry drills or channeling tools, means for feeding said carriages forward to. the work, means for delivering fluid pressure to said cylinders, said iiuid pressure delivering means having suitable throttle valves, operating rods connected with said throttle valves and means for regulating the movement of said operating rods and controlling the opening and closing of said throttle valves and regulating the power of the stroke of said plungers and drills, said drill plungers being capable of operation simultaneously with the revolution of said drill carriage support or when said drill carriage support is stationary to adapt the device for channeling or drilling purposes.

13. A tunneling machine comprising a combined drilling and channeling car, a rotary drill support mounted on said car, carriages mounted on said support and having fluid pressure cylinders and plungers therefor adapted to carry drills or channeling tools, means for delivering fluid pressure to said cylinders, feed screws fo-r said carriages, a gear ring operatively connected with said feed screws and adapted to remain stationary when said drum is revolved duringthe channeling operation and to be slowly revolved when said drum is stationary during the drilling operation, and means for operatingsaid ring.

14. In a tunneling apparatus, a combined channeling and drilling car including a revolving support, carriages mounted thereon and adapted to carry channeling tools or drills, means for revolving said support during the channeling operation and means operated from the support for feeding said carriages forwardly, and means for operat ing said carriage feeding means independently of said support to feed the carriages and drills during the drilling opera-tion when said support is stationary.

15. A combined channeling land drilling apparatus including a revolving carrier, carriages mounted thereon and adapted to carry channeling tools or drills, means for revolving saidsupport during the channeling operation, means Voperated from the support for feeding said carriages, and

means for operating said carriage feeding means to feed the carriages and drills during the drilling operation when said support is stationary.

16. A channeling apparatus including a revolving carrier, carriages mounted thereon, means for revolving said carrier during the channeling operation, and means operated from the carrier for feeding said carriages forwardly, said feeding means including devices whereby all or a portion of said carriages may be fed forwardly.

17. A combined channeling and drilling apparatus including a revolving support, carriages mounted thereon, means for revolving said support during the channeling operation, means operated by the support for moving the carriages forwardly, means operated independently of the support for feeding said carriages forwardly, fluid pressure controlled mechanism for regulating the power of the stroke of the drills, pipes having valves controlling` the flow of said fluid pressure and mechanism whereby a variable powerstroke for one or more of the drills can be obtained during the revolution of said support. y

18. In a channeling machine, the combination of a revolving drill carrier, drill carriages mounted thereon, screw shafts operatively connected with said carriages to reciprocate the same, pinions loosely mounted on said shafts, clutch devices for locking said pinions temporarily, a gear ring for driving said pinions, and means for operating said ring, the release of a pinion clutch allowing one screw shaft to be rendered inoperative without affecting the other shafts.

19. In a tunneling machine, the combination of a revolving drill carrier, a gear ring, means for driving the same, reciprocating drill carriages mounted on said carrier, means operatively connecting said gear ring with each of said carriages for reciprocating the same, said means including a clutch mechanism whereby any one of the carriages may be rendered inoperative.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 23rd day of July 1910.

DIGHTON A. ROBINSON.

Vitnesses E. M. VI-HTNEY, H. H. SHINKMAN.

mCopies. of this patent'may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

